LAHORE: At least 12 people, six children among them, died and 17 others suffered injuries in a massive fire that erupted after an accident involving a car and a tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas near Manawala in Sheikhupura district on Wednesday.

Because of heavy fog, the driver of the car could not see the tanker reversing on Nankana Sahib Road. The car pierced through the tanker and damaged one of its valves, causing gas leakage.

The tanker driver failed to notice the leak, moved towards the car and started arguing with its occupants.

Meanwhile, the gas leaking from the tanker spread to a nearby tea stall which caught fire. Within seconds the blaze engulfed the tanker, a stationary car, two rickshaws and two motorcycles waiting for the road to clear. Shops in the area also caught fire.

A rescue official said each rickshaw was carrying more than 10 people, including schoolchildren and teachers. Four motorcyclists were among the victims.

He said 14 people with serious injuries were taken to the Allied Hospital in Faisalabad and three to the Nankana Sahib DHQ Hospital. Two of them died in the Faisalabad hospital.

The deceased were identified as Haseeb, 6, Waleed Shahzad, 5, Muneeb, 7, Faizan, 8, Hamza, 5, Amjad Ali, 28, Zunaira, 20, Shagufta Jabbar, 28, Shazia Farooq, 25, and Amin, 35, Muhammad Ali and Haider.

The injured included Sharaf, Sikandar, Ahmed Raza, Haider, Kosar Parveen, Safia Bibi, Abdul Rehman, Arif, Anam, Shazia, Ammad, Mohammad Ali, Ansar Abbas and Raza.

Mohammad Saleem from Faisalabad contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2016